Mansfield, OH (June 16, 2021) – On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, the Board of Governors for Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center met for their monthly meeting. Kevin D. Kimmel, Superintendent, gave a presentation updating the Board on the results of the recent Mid-Ohio ESC District Satisfaction Survey.

The Mid-Ohio ESC District Satisfaction Survey was established to conduct an annual measurement of satisfaction with client districts. Based on feedback from the districts, Mid-Ohio ESC focused their efforts on the following areas: development of relationships, improving trust, timely responses and an overall service first mentality. These efforts clearly did not go unnoticed by the districts. “I feel the leadership at MOESC is working hard to develop a culture focused on service” said Brad Herman, Lucas Superintendent.

The overall purpose of an ESC is to meet the needs of client districts, provide high quality training, networking, and support. Through this survey, it is established that Mid-Ohio ESC is doing just that. “I appreciate the overall direction that Mid-Ohio ESC is providing, focusing on improving services and connections with the partner districts” said Rob Peterson, Madison Superintendent. 

“On behalf of Lexington School District, I want to thank Mid-Ohio ESC staff and administration for their support of our district in my first year as Superintendent”, said Jeremy Secrist of Lexington Local Schools. “I look forward to growing our relationship to capitalize on the customized services and support that MOESC is providing through its outstanding staff and administration.”

“On behalf of the Mid-Ohio ESC administration and staff, I want to thank our client district Superintendents for their feedback that they provided through the annual district satisfaction survey. I am happy to report that we received an overall 99% satisfaction rating from our district leaders which is an improvement from last year’s 95% mark. The positive ratings and comments would have not been possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire MOESC staff. We are very fortunate to have a staff and administration that have a service mentality and work diligently to meet the needs of our districts. I look forward to growing our relationships, services, and support of our client districts,” said Kimmel. 

Board President, Dick Prater, said “Meeting the needs of our districts’ students and staff is our highest priority. The survey clearly shows that our districts recognize the hard work of Superintendent Kimmel and the outstanding MOESC staff. The Board of Governors joins in that support and is committed to enhancing the quality of services we provide and strengthening the relationships we have developed with our districts.”

Area educators and educational administrators are invited to join Mid-Ohio Education Service Center on Monday, August 2, 2021, for their Fall Administrative Conference, titled “Relentless Accountability.” The conference will take place at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center, 890 W. 4th Street in Mansfield, with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. and the conference starting at 8 a.m. and concluding at 4 p.m.

There are three featured keynote speakers for the event: Richie Contartesi and Dr. Kevin S. Miller and Nicole Donovsky, Esq.

Richie Contartesi earned a full Division-1 football scholarship to the University of Mississippi as a walk-on. Despite grinding through three years of grueling physical practices, failure, rejection, and ridicule, his tenacity earned him the right to be a starter, a respected teammate, and became a Division-1 football scholarship athlete in the the SEC. He also went on to earn the SEC Scholar Athlete award. Over the past 5 years, Richie has spoken in 48 states at over 460 schools with hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and parents. He understands the climate and culture students thrive in and don’t thrive in. His topic is The Ultimate Leadership Playbook: A New Opportunity to Make a Bigger Impact Through Change.

Dr. Kevin S. Miller and Nicole Donovsky, Esq. will be presenting Legislative and Legal Update: Legal Stuff You Need to Know. Dr. Miller is the Director of Governmental Relations at the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. During his tenure as superintendent of Ottawa Hills, the school consistently ranked as Ohio’s top school district. Ottawa Hills was the only district to receive all A’s for four consecutive years on the Ohio Department of Education’s Local Report Card. Ms. Donovsky is partner at Bricker & Eckler, LLP and chief legal counsel to the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. 

There will also be breakout sessions on the following topics:

• Legislative and Legal Updates
• Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
• Special Education
• Communication and Marketing
• Social and Emotional/Behavioral Supports
• Leadership

Members of client districts can attend for $50. For those participating from a non-client district, the cost is $100. The registration deadline is July 19th, after that date no refunds will be given. Register at www.moesc.net/adminconference. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. 

OPES 2.0 Bridge

This training supports evaluators who have been trained/credentialed in the existing OPES, but need the required one-day bridge training for OPES 2.0

Tuesday,  August 10, 2021 - 8:00 am till 3:00 pm

or

Tuesday, September 28, 2021- 8:00 am till 3:00 pm

Cost is $100.00 

OPES 2.0 New

This training supports evaluators who have never been trained/credentialed in the current OPES,

and are preparing to evaluate in district transitioning to OPES 2.0 in 2021-2022

Two day training from 8:00 am till 3:00 pm each day

Wednesday, August 11 and Thursday, August 12, 2021 

or

Wednesday, September 29 and Thursday, September 30,2021

Cost is 175.00

OSCES

Ohio School Counselor Standards and Evaluation

Thursday, September 9, 2021 - 8:00 am until 3:00 pm

Cost is $125.00

Register at STARS  OH|ID 

View the flyer for more information       

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center is providing client districts the opportunity to learn from the comforts of their own home. There are two options, the first are several book studies utilizing Google Classroom, while the second is an a la carte menu of choices that present information in various formats before asking the participant to apply their learning to their classroom. 

Sherri Richter, Gifted Educational Consultant and book study designer says, “We are able to give them the tools that enable them to nurture and meet the needs of their gifted students on their own timetable.” All of these opportunities are free to those districts in the Mid-Ohio ESC gifted model. Educators can use these resources to earn gifted hours and also earn credit hours from Ashland University for an additional fee. 

Those interested can read through the summaries and decide what is of most interest to them or what best meets the needs of the gifted students in their classroom. Each assignment ranges from one hour of PD to five hours of PD, while book studies are 15 hours of PD. 
 
The first book study, Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Classroom from Susan Winebrenner, opens up June 1st and is available through August 15th. Other books slated for the year include Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education, Thinking Like a Lawyer, and Intelligent Life in the Classroom.

Leanna Ferreira, Mid-Ohio ESC Gifted Educational Consultant, said this method has been a real success. “Each year we have teachers share with us their appreciation for the quality of information they learn within an easy format.  This is one of the most rewarding aspects of our role as we are positively impacting the growth of not only gifted learners, but all learners.”
 
A teacher in a recent study said they highly enjoyed the learning and the format. “Not only did I earn an AU credit, but I was able to laugh, relax, and learn more about my gifted learners and how to increase their engagement in my classroom.”

Although anyone is able to participate, these resources are specifically designed to provide professional development to teachers who are serving gifted students. Interested educators can sign up for these opportunities at www.moesc.net/register. Anyone with questions about any of the professional development or registration can contact Leanna Ferreira at 419-774-5520 ex. 2481 or by emailing ferreira.leanna@moesc.net.

As part of FIRST School’s commitment to encouraging social and emotional development, on April 1st, 40 students participated in an activity day with the Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning. A Richland County Foundation TAP Grant was used to pay for the activity, which was graciously rolled over from 2020 when all activities were cancelled due to COVID-19. 

The students had a blast and so did the teachers and staff, ending the week before Spring Break on a high note. Josh Vanderzyden (Programs and Communication Manager of Nuhop), Andy Vandeusen, and Paul Kinney from Nuhop presented a program that involved several activities focusing on the improvement of communication skills and team building. 

Students, teachers, and staff participated in activities that required them to work together in groups and discuss the results of each activity. This allowed students to participate in activities outside the normal classroom studies. These activities included analyzing the best method in 5 different scenarios. 

The first activity involved everyone standing in a circle and tossing a softball while saying the name of who you threw it to. Then you were timed and had to remember the exact throwing order. Then they had to figure out how to do it more quickly. The students started at 43 seconds, and after being told the best time ever was 10 seconds, came up with a method to complete it in 9 seconds! 

The second activity involved timing by running under a large jump rope without letting it hit anyone and whether the entire group of over 50 (students, teachers and staff) could complete it. It took 3 attempts (and several configurations of teamwork), but they achieved success! 

The third activity involved sitting back-to-back and describing how to put together an object without seeing it, and then reversing. The fourth activity involved teams of 6 using several PVC pipes and attempting to roll a marble from pipe to pipe without touching it and ending up in a cup. The last activity consisted of teams of 3, with one being the observer, one being the runner, and one being the builder. The observer had to view an object and describe it to the runner without the runner seeing it. The runner then had to run to the builder and describe how to build it as many times as possible within a specified time frame. 

Vanessa Wagner, Principal of FIRST School, said, “The amazing engagement of students, teachers, and staff made this event one for the books! We are always wanting to encourage our students to work together and this type of fun activity made the learning experience really enjoyable for all of us! We’re grateful for Nuhop and their commitment to teaching students through fun and innovative ways.”

Private Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Programs include the Abraxas School and FIRST School, which are funded through the Ohio Department of Education Private Residential Treatment Facility Pilot Program to operate the academic program at two of the three PRTF sites: Abraxas, located east of Shelby and Foundations for Living, located west of Lucas. These programs are also supported through Title 1-D (Delinquent) funds administered by Mid-Ohio ESC. Mid-Ohio ESC partners with the residential treatment program administration and staff to deliver an educational program that meets the requirements of the Ohio Department of Education for students in correctional facilities.

The LEAP program provides instruction and related services to students from individual school districts who require a more specialized educational setting than is available in the public school. LEAP has 8 total locations servicing much of northern Ohio, including one at Crestview Local Schools. Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center is proud to announce the opening of a new location in Mansfield at the ESC. The classrooms will be operational in time for the start of the 2021/2022 school year.

George Linberger, LEAP Director and President, said, “We are really excited for this partnership with Mid-Ohio ESC. We had been in discussions for some time before COVID, but in the past 6 months, we finally got to take concrete steps forward to obtaining this space with Mid-Ohio and offering our services to even more students.” 

LEAP helps students both from general education and those assessed to have Learning or Developmental Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (i.e., Asperger's Syndrome, higher functioning Autism), ADHD, Oppositional/Defiant Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, all Personality Disorders and many others not listed. They provide students, their families, as well as the placing school districts effective, innovative, and evidence-based alternative education and psychoeducational services. They work to provide hope and motivation to emotionally and behaviorally challenged children grades K through 12 to reach their maximum potential academically, emotionally, and socially.

Kathleen Frazier is the program director for the Crestview branch and will additionally be serving in the same role for the new Mid-Ohio branch. “We are so glad for the chance to open up the doors closer to kids that really need the assistance. For some of the students in Mid-Ohio’s districts, the distance was just too far from Crestview to be a feasible option. Being in Mansfield and closer to those students means we can be a better branch of support that will make it easier to carry the lessons learned into their everyday lives.” 

Frazier said she hopes that through word of mouth and results seen from students returning to their home districts they will be seen as more than just “alternative placement” for a student. “There is a great need for mental health care right now, and we want people to know we work with all students, including general education students, when they have social and emotional problems. It’s our goal to turn them into productive students when they come back.” 

Staffing this new branch will be a mixture of LEAP veterans and some new staff, although all have prior teaching experience. The Mid-Ohio branch will be able to support roughly 48 students, 12 students in each of 4 classrooms. Every student receives full academic services, as regulated by the State of Ohio, including up-to-date curriculum for all age and grade levels, based on adopted State Standards & Proficiency expectations. There is also short-term and crisis counseling for students, as needed, as well as, daily psychoeducational groups, with topics including conflict-resolution skills training, emotion management, self-care and hygiene maintenance, self-esteem enhancement, social skills development, financial budgeting/planning, relationship maintenance, how to ask for help, accepting consequences, etc.

“Having the LEAP program as a resource for our students in Mid-Ohio ESC member districts gives us all a valuable tool for when a student’s needs are more specialized than their home district can accommodate,” said Kevin D. Kimmel, Superintendent of Mid-Ohio ESC. “Plus, this new location in Mansfield will ensure all Mid-Ohio districts have equal access without the obstacle of distance.” 

Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center is pleased to welcome the Mt. Gilead School District as a member district. The Mid-Ohio ESC Board of Governors voted unanimously to accept their petition of membership at their regular meeting on May 19th. Mt. Gilead’s membership will commence on July 1, 2021.

Board President Dick Prater said, "On behalf of the Mid-Ohio ESC Board of Governors, I can say that we are thrilled to partner with Mt. Gilead Schools and welcome them to the Mid-Ohio family. We look forward to providing our comprehensive educational services for staff and students that will meet or exceed their expectations. We also hope they will share their best practices and success stories to make our network of districts even stronger as we move closer to the post-COVID era." 

Mt. Gilead was previously a member of the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, with offices in Tiffin and Marion, so proximity to the district was a factor. Larry Zimmerman, Interim Superintendent at Mt. Gilead Schools since December 2019, said, "As a veteran superintendent, I recognized that Mt. Gilead Schools could perhaps benefit more from membership in an Educational Service Center in our geographic area." 

However, Zimmerman explained the district did not make a snap decision because they knew the partnership needed to be a good fit, and they needed to include incoming Superintendent Dr. Zack Howard. "[We] started a study which Dr. Howard became a part of after he was hired and determined that the services being offered at Mid-Ohio ESC were the best match for the long term benefit of the Mt. Gilead Schools."  

Dr. Howard shared that he is excited to work with the leadership at Mid-Ohio ESC and other member districts. “We are looking forward to sharing ideas and addressing common challenges to create the best learning environment possible for our Mt. Gilead students."

Crestview Local Schools is announcing a new face to lead the district as superintendent. James M. Grubbs Jr., who has served at Galion City Schools as superintendent and is finishing a one-year contract as Interim Superintendent for Tiffin City Schools, was chosen during a regular board meeting on Monday, May 17th. He was chosen from a strong field of 22 candidates of which 7 were interviewed by the school board. MOESC Superintendent Kevin D. Kimmel assisted the district in their search for the new superintendent.  

Grubbs starts a two-year contract as superintendent on August 1st, 2021. He officially replaces Randy Dunlap, who is leaving to take a superintendent position with Blanchester Local Schools, a district in Southwestern Ohio. Dunlap has been serving Crestview since 2014.

Crestview Board President Dave Kissel said it was Grubbs’ knowledge of how to get a school community on the same page and to make the efforts and experience an enjoyable team effort that helped push him to the top. “The Crestview Board of Education believes that Jim Grubbs is an all around, 360 degree, candidate that meets the needs of our school district. Jim displayed high energy and enthusiasm to move Crestview to the next level in all areas.”

“Words can't explain how excited I am,” explained Grubbs. “My family has had a connection with Crestview schools for years. We have had relatives and kids of our friends go through the school district, all of whom have had great things to say about the school system. My wife and I have friends that are either currently or previously employed by Crestview; all have had nothing but positives to say about the school system. Knowing people in the school and community provided me insight into the quality of staff, and students Crestview has.  I have known many Crestview students, all of whom had the drive to do their best. I think this shows in everything from the classroom to athletics. The community support in Crestview is second to none, and I want to thank the Crestview School Board for this opportunity. 

Grubbs said he looks forward to improving communication within and about the district. “My first goal is to get to know the staff and community. This business is all about building relationships. The staff will hear me say the following James Comer quote often, ‘No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.’” He said the community, staff and students need to know the district cares. He continued, “It will also be vital that we share all the great things that happen in the district with the community and be transparent about the problematic issues.”
 
He had some words of gratitude to those who have helped him along the way. “Don Plotts and Glenna Cannon-Plotts, both former superintendents of Pioneer, were extraordinary leaders who have given me much guidance during my 13-year tenure at Pioneer, where I served in various roles. Doug Castle, a long-time educator, and friend before his passing, had more influence on me than most. Doug is revered as a remarkable educational leader that I had the fortune to help lead me. I know he is looking down on me from above, and I don't ever want to let him down.”  
 
Kevin D. Kimmel, Mid-Ohio ESC Superintendent, chimed in with his own praise of Grubbs. “Jim has been a long-time educator and administrator in our area, and I’ve had numerous opportunities to speak and collaborate with him. We are so pleased to have assisted Crestview Local Schools in attaining such a high caliber leader as their next superintendent.”

The demand for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is rising, with projected job growth at 21% through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet a shortage of SLPs has put the squeeze on schools and healthcare organizations. In order to mitigate this problem in the local area, Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center has created the Speech Language Pathology Development Program.

This program will encourage interested graduate students to pursue a career in speech language pathology with Mid-Ohio ESC. Successful applicants will have their tuition reimbursed for the duration of the program. In exchange for the applicant’s tuition being reimbursed during graduate school, they agree to work for Mid-Ohio ESC for five years once they become fully licensed. 

Candidates must apply and have been accepted to a CAA Speech-Language Pathology Graduate program with an institute of their choosing. They will then have a face-to-face interview with the Student Services Department to ensure a good fit for all. For the 21-22 School Year, MOESC will accept 2 program applicants and will accept 2 program applicants each year as it aligns with district need and attrition rates. 

Jennifer Crum, Director of Student Services said, “Our efforts to recruit candidates, especially those who reside within our regional school districts, offer a promising approach to consistently develop a healthy speech language pathology workforce and meet critical shortages within our region.”

For more information, contact Crum at crum.jennifer@moesc.net or 419-774-2507.

The Ohio Department of Education awarded Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center a four-year Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant of $1,050,000 to build state-wide models of evidence based practices in literacy for students in Kindergarten – 5th grade at Mansfield City Schools’ Springmill STEM Elementary and Plymouth-Shiloh Elementary. The model sites will concentrate on implementing practices consistent with Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement, a guidance document from the Ohio Department of Education. Throughout the four-year grant cycle, Mid-Ohio is collaborating with the Department and State Support Team 7.  

The grant’s goals are based on two fundamental needs: building a school-wide reading model, and instituting grade-level and individual professional development for teachers and administrators founded on the components of the Science of Reading. The work provides for partnerships and collaboration of general and special education practitioners working collectively together to support all learners.

This school year, the CLSD grant Coaches provided thirty-three different training opportunities to support educators’ capacity to provide high-quality instructional literacy plans for all learners, focused on four areas of instructional practice.  The Heggerty curriculum teaches students phonemic awareness, the ability to focus on and manipulate sounds in spoken words.  Teachers also are learning to use orthographic mapping, the linking of sounds to letters and attaching them to meaning to allow “mapping” them to memory. 

In addition, educators at the model sites are using the Acadience Reading Assessment to analyze student data and follow decision-making rules to plan next steps for student growth. To assist struggling readers, the teachers are implementing evidence-based interventions from the CORE Reading Sourcebook.  Using these curricular pieces, along with additional professional development, will assist in building a school-wide reading model to sustain the gains in student achievement.

Regina Sackman, principal at Springmill STEM, noted that they have already seen results in her building. “The resources and teacher professional development provided by the CLSD grant have positively impacted student learning. Many teachers have already seen improvement in student reading and writing as a result of the implementation of the Heggerty phonemic awareness program. We are looking forward to continuing improvements as we continue the work of improving student learning through this grant.” 

During the 2021 – 2022 school year, the CLSD Coaches will expand their work by connecting with and empowering families and community partners to support the CLSD grant’s literacy initiatives for student growth and achievement. Lisa Cook, the CLSD Director and Literacy Coach, shared her enthusiasm, “I am very excited to lead the work of the CLSD grant.  Our vision is to improve outcomes for all learners, thus helping more students master essential reading foundations by reducing the barriers for literacy acquisition. By supporting the buildings’ infrastructures and decision rules as part of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports process, we can prepare all learners to be culturally responsive citizens in their path to college or careers and help to fulfill Ohio’s promise of Each Child, Our Future!”